Logitech “G” Series Lineup Impressions from SxSW 2016!

As you know, one of WOTS’ major events every year is the SxSW Gaming Expo, a three day event that brings together big names from the gaming, anime, and board game vendors under one (very crowded) roof. This time around, EBongo and I set our sights on Logitech, who brought a massive booth to the show in order to demo their gaming-oriented G series keyboards, mice, and headsets.

Logitech’s lineup has always had a place on my desktop. I own several Logitech mice, and those suckers are built like tanks. I have a MX518 on my desk at home, and an MX510 on my desk at work. It was actually something of a joke to the Logitech team – they said people loved those MX-series mice so much they never wanted to replace them! Nevertheless, time marches on and with it comes improved technology – the Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum is evidence of that.

Logitech G502 Proteus Spectrum

On the right is the new G502 Proteus Spectrum, and on the left is Logitech’s G600 MMO mouse.

The Proteus Spectrum is an optical mouse sporting up to 12,000 DPI and 11 customizable buttons. I got to spend a little time holding the Proteus Spectrum on the con floor, and I was intrigued by the positioning of these extra buttons. The “back” and “forward” buttons are flush with the side of the mouse, and there’s a third button about where the tip of your thumb rests. There’s a more extended “thumb rest” area on the left side of the mouse that I could also appreciate.

This is the same configuration as the G502 Proteus Core, but the Proteus Spectrum adds customizable RGB backlighting to the mix. We saw a quick demo of the Logitech Gaming Software at the booth, and it looked quite epic. It seems like you can sync up your keyboard and mouse, or customize one or the other depending on the situation.

Next up at the booth was a veritable cornucopia of keyboards, some of which had just been announced. The stars of the show are the new Orion G610 and G810 models.

Logitech G810 Orion Spectrum

On the left is the G810 Orion Spectrum, and on the right is the G610 Orion Brown. In the background, you can see a giant Romer-G switch model!

The G810 Orion Spectrum is the new flagship model – it features the same Romer-G switches as 2014’s G910 Orion Spark. Although the Romer-G switches are back, it seemed like the angular keycaps from the G910 Orion Spark had been replaced by more standard, concave keycaps.

A 3d model of Logitech’s custom Romer-G switches.

Gone are the macro keys, instead now the function keys can be reprogrammed as needed. I rarely use the macro keys on my current Razer Blackwidow, and I find that more often than not they throw off my hand positioning if I sit down to it after using another keyboard model. Here again, Logitech has gone full-blown RGB crazy, and using their software you can customize the backlighting as you see fit. Let me say, the backlighting on this keyboard is darn beautiful in person!

Logitech G610 Orion Brown/Red

If you’re partial to the Cherry MX switches, Logitech has you covered with the G610 Orion Brown and the G610 Orion Red. The difference between the two is the variant of Cherry MX switches in use. The backlighting is also white-only. Beyond these changes switches, the G610 Orion models appear to be pretty similar to the G810 Orion Spectrum.

All three of Logitech’s new keyboards’ designs are more subdued than some gaming peripherals tend to be. Gone are the bold case colors and angular wrist rests. Instead, all three of these Orion keyboards are matte black and the form factors are very tailored to the outline of the keyboard. Whether or not you like the new design is a matter of personal preference, but I personally appreciate the new color palette.

Logitech G633 Artemis Spectrum

The headset of choice at SxSW Gaming was definitely the Logitech G633 Artemis Spectrum. I noticed them on display at a great many booths this year. The G633 (and its wireless cousin, the G933) were released last fall. Both feature Logitech’s RGB lighting, as the “spectrum” in the name suggests. They’ve got both Dolby 7.1 Surround and DTS Headphone:X support, so you’ve got your choice of simulated surround sound standards. My short time with the G633 was comfortable, although the con floor’s not the best place to get an impression about long term comfort – or sound quality, for that matter!

If you need a headset to compliment your RGB-infused keyboard and mouse, check out the Artemis Spectrum. It’s got all the features you’d expect from a gaming headset, with a consistent look and the Logitech Gaming Software tying it to the other G-series peripherals.

That’s it for our con floor impressions – I’ve asked Logitech to send us a couple of review units so that we can give you guys a more in-depth look at the G502 Proteus Spectrum, the G810 Orion Spectrum, and the G610 Orion Red.